Teaching Israeli children to dance to Eden Golan's 'Hurricane'

Anyone who grew up dancing is familiar with the exquisite rush of joy, energy, camaraderie, and even healing that dancing can bring to the mind-body existence in which we live. I grew up studying ballet, Israeli dance, modern dance, and when I was already in my fifties, “Eastern dancing,” which is the proper term for belly dancing. I bring out and share my jingly scarves in the women’s circles at weddings and bat mitzvot, loving the sisterhood and laughter they bring to the simcha.

It is no surprise that one of the tag lines with which Israelis have responded to the massacre of October 7 is “We will dance again.” The more than 1,200 murdered included more than 360 young people at the Nova music festival.

Some others at the festival were assaulted and taken hostage to Gaza.

So I was intrigued to hear about a project by Dorothy Eisdorfer, an Israeli dancer, choreographer, and dance teacher. She created and taught an exuberant dance number to children from the Walworth Barbour American International School in Even Yehuda to the entrancing music of Eden Golan’s song “Hurricane,” which came in fifth place at the recent Eurovision contest in Malmo, Sweden. It came in second based on votes by the audience. (The original title/lyrics were “October Rain.”)

ISRAEL’S CONTESTANT Eden Golan sings in the Grand Final of the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest in Malmo, Sweden. (credit: Leonhard Foeger/Reuters)

Dancing in the storm, I got nothing to hide

Take it all and leave the world behind

Baby, promise me you’ll hold me again

I’m still broken from this hurricane

Living in a fantasy, ecstasy

Everything is meant to be

We shall pass, but love will never die

What is Eisdorfer’s background and how did she come up with this idea?

Eisdorfer made aliyah from the US with her family in 2012.

“I was born dancing, as my mom would say! From a very young age, I felt connected to all sorts of music and was a very young mover. I felt the emotion expressed through music whether it was classical, jazz, or songs, and had to find a way to convey it, and that was through dance.

“I especially loved to dance to the adagio tempo and to very expressive styles of music. When I hear music, I feel it in my soul. It just flows through me,” she explained.

At six years old, Eisdorfer was accepted into the Royal Academy of Dance in London, and that started her initial formal introduction to dance. “I then continued studying at professional schools in New York – ballet, theatrical Broadway jazz, modern, and in my later teenage years, I also studied ballroom and Latin. The pursuit of dance, as well as performing, became my life, and the creative process continues to this day. To create is to live twice.

“I have been very blessed to be born into a very loving, nurturing, and artistic family where I was greatly exposed to the vast canvas of the arts, including music, art, literature… All of these have truly shaped who I am as a dance artist today, and I feel eternally grateful to them. The art and joy of dance I share is everlasting, forever enriched by my own insatiable curiosity.

“Isn’t that the beauty of it all?” she said. “We never stop learning if we choose to; there are so many treasures still to be discovered and unveiled.”

She has passed on her love of artistic expression to her two sons. “One is 15 years old, and one is eight. Both are very talented. My younger son is definitely a born dancer, like a young Gene Kelly! He keeps me on my toes every day.”

A dance educator for more than 20 years, Eisdorfer has been teaching dance at the Walworth Barbour American International School since 2013, and the young dancers in her “Hurricane” project were drawn from that school.

“The idea came about for this project when I was asked to have all my dance groups perform for an end of the year event called International Day. I wanted to showcase Israel as my chosen nation and felt it was the perfect time to do this.

“I work with my dance students throughout the year, but this year was especially important for me with everything going on. As my late and dearly beloved father once said to me, ’These are the times that try men’s souls.’ Dance is so much about storytelling, and I had to find a way to channel this through my choreography.

“I chose the song ’Hurricane,’ as I felt that this song and Eden Golan’s powerful performance encompassed so much emotion and bravery, and it really resonated with my students.

“This particular dance group is composed of children who are about 10 years old, in the fourth grade, from all different nationalities, who come to study in Israel, and that was the great beauty in it. Here they are, experiencing Israel firsthand through innocent eyes and during a very trying and difficult year,” she recounted.

Among the countries her students come from are Israel, Denmark, the US, the UK, Belgium, Singapore, and Spain.

“Through the choreography, they found unity, a testament to the strength that lies within movement, and a tribute to Israel. I have truly seen the children develop through this process, both technically in dance and emotionally. I believe the seeds of dance have been planted in each and every one of them, and it is a gift they will have for a lifetime, no matter what path they choose to take in their life.

“It was a very special and emotional performance. I am extremely proud, and the response from many people has been greatly moving for me as an artist. Witnessing the unity and love of my students from various backgrounds in the dance fills me with immense pride. This performance, a tribute to Israel with symbolic formations, was danced with remarkable emotion and poise by these talented young performers. It was a truly special moment that captured the essence of love, unity, the power of dance, and the indomitable human spirit,” she enthused.

Ella from Denmark said about the dance project, “It meant a lot to me. When I dance, it feels like being in a different world. When I’m dancing, I feel that it has a special meaning, and it makes me feel strong and brave.”

A student from the US commented, “Accomplishing the dance felt great, since we had been working on it for so long. We did awesome!”

How can dance help during these challenging times?

Eisdorfer said, “I deeply believe that dance is healing for the soul, something we certainly all need these days. I have always been greatly inspired by Isadora Duncan, who believed that expression and emotion should be prevalent in movement. Dancing in nature is so important and something I instill in my method of teaching, freeing ourselves to be immersed in music and the beauty of Mother Earth. It’s in this freedom that true artistry blossoms and shines.”What are her goals for the future?

“Going forward, or kadima!” she replied exuberantly. “I want to build a cultural arts center where children and adults, regardless of financial status, can come and study, create, and perform. It would be fully philanthropy based. I would love to connect with those who share this great passion of mine and want to make this happen in Israel.

“Israel, a nation of unwavering spirit, will continue to flourish, in art, technology, medicine, science, and in dance. And we will move forward, one step at a time.

“The time is now.”■

The writer is an award-winning journalist, theater director, and editor-in-chief of WholeFamily.com.

Dorothy Eisdorfer can be reached at: dancing_with_dorothy (https://www.instagram.com/dancing_with_dorothy/)